Virtual pet evolves as kids drink more water

Work & Lifestyle

Smart water bottles house cute pets that grow as children hit their water drinking targets.

We’ve seen how teens can learn about coding through friendship bracelets and throwable computers. Taking a similar peer-to-peer approach, Gululu have developed a wifi-connected water bottle that makes staying hydrated fun for young children.

Embedded sensors on the water bottles enable children to interact with a tamagotchi-style pet on a screen. Kids first chose a pet, and set goals according to their age and size. As they hit their drinking target day-to-day, their pet evolves and grows, and can be taken on virtual adventures in the Gululu Universe on a companion app. The smart bottles come with wireless charging stations, and let kids connect their pets by waving them at each other. Parents can keep tabs of hydration levels through an app, and view drinking patterns over time — they can even remotely turn the bottle to School Mode and help their kids concentrate in class.

Gululu are currently running a Kickstarter campaign and aim to have their washable, durable bottles fully available later in 2016. How else can gamified smart devices encourage good habits from kids?